November 16, 2011 - Clarkston Community Church will match $12,000 in donations to Clarkston Blessings in a Backpack program, through the end of the year.

Blessings in a Backpack provides free food for the weekend to children on free or reduced fee lunch programs.

Backpacks started going home with children at Andersonville Elementary the first week of November. More schools will be added as funds become available.

In Clarkston, 1,568 children have been eligible for free or reduced fee lunches over the past two years.

"Many people are not aware of the magnitude of childhood hunger right in their own community," said Cheryl Whitton, chairperson of the Michigan Blessings in a Backpack Advisory Board. "We are able to provide the food for the weekend for $2.30 per child. A donation of $100 will provide a backpack to one child each weekend for an entire school year."

Mail donations to NWCF-Blessings in a Backpack-Clarkston, 1120 E. Long Lake Road, Suite 205, Troy, MI 48085, or contact the North Woodward Community Foundation at 248-740-7600 or blessingsinabackpackmi.org.